英汉诗体语篇数量象似性的文体效果研究——反思索绪尔的任意说

On the Stylistic Effect of Quantitative Iconicity in English and Chinese Poetic Discourse: Reflection on Saussure’s View of Arbitrariness

认知语言学尖锐地批判了索绪尔的任意说,并针锋相对地提出了象似说。本文运用象似说考察数量象似性在英汉诗体语篇中的修辞特点和文体效果。结论是:英语传统诗歌和汉语现当代诗歌中采用的数量象似手法和文体手段基本相同,所表达的修辞目的及取得的文体效果相差不大;两者之间的主要差别在于英语诗歌对数量象似性运用的频率远比汉语高。研究结果表明,从数量象似性的角度考察诗体语篇的修辞特点及其文体效果是可行的,对于提高读者的诗歌鉴赏水平、使之更好地把握诗人高超的线性艺术具有积极的意义。因此,数量象似性考察应该成为诗体语篇文体分析的一个重要层面。

Cognitive Linguistics has made a sharp criticism of Saussure＇ s View of Arbitrariness, and proposed on a diametrically opposite stand the View of Iconicity, on the basis of which, the paper investigates into the rhetorical feature and stylistic effect of quantitative iconicity in poetic discourse. It is concluded that quantitative iconicity acts as an important rhetorical and stylistic device in both traditional English poetry and contemporary Chinese poetry ex- cept that traditional English poetry makes a more frequent use of quantitative iconicity than contemporary Chinese poetry. This study demonstrates that it is feasible to investigate into the rhetorical feature and stylistic effect of poet- ic discourse from the angle of quantitative iconicity, which helps to promote the readers＇ level of poetic apprecia-tion. Thus, the investigation into quantitative iconicity should be taken as an important dimension in stylistic analy-sis of poetic discourse.